Slicing machine



June 23, 1925.

w. A. VAN BERKEL SLICING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fil'd'n. 8, 1922 W. A.VAN BERKEL June 23, 1925.

SLICING. MACHINE Fil d D. 8, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 23, 1925. v

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' 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Lg al 36] J/VVE/VTOR:

Mme/W M By WW1 /1M Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELMUS A. 'VAN'BERKEL, OF ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO U. S.

SLIGING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LA. FORTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF IN-DIANA.

Application filed December 8, 1922. Serial 1%. 805,549.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELMUS A. VAN BERKEL, a subject of the Queen ofthe Netherlands, residing at Rotterdam, Netherlands, have inventedcertain new and useful Im provements in Slicing Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for slicing meat and similarmaterial and has for its object the provision of a device of the classnamed which shall provide an unobstructed space'for depositing theslices, and which shall be of improved construction and convenient andelficient in operation.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings and described in the followlngspecification, and it is more particularly polnted out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation showing one embodiment of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, with parts in section;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 44 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 shows a detail of construction.

In slicing machines as heretofore constructed having a rotary disc knifethe support for the knife which usually has been positioned adjacent oneof the faces of the knife and below the spindle extends more or lessinto the path of the severed slices making it necessary to deflect theslices from their position adjacent the face of the knife so as toprevent engagement with the knife support. For some kinds of materialthis is very apt to break the slices and the support also interfereswith the hand of the operator as he receives the slice being severed. Inthe present invention these difliculties are overcome by offsetting thesupport for the knife spindle to one side of the vertical center line ofthe spindle and by rearranging the other parts of the machine to permitof this offset position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral designates thebase frame of a slicing machine of well-known construction havinga-reciprocating table 11 and a meat support '12 which is fed toward theslicing knife 13 after each slicing operation in a manner well, known inthe art. Secured to the frame 10' by cap screws 14 is a supportingpedestal 15 preferably in the form of a shell made up of webs or plateswhich may be cast or otherwise manufactured. At its upper portion theshell 15 is provided with bearings 16 and 17 in which a shaft 18 isjournaled for supporting the knife 13. The end of the shaft 18 oppositethe knife'13 carries a pulley wheel 19 about which a belt 20 travels.

The pedestal 15 has a shelf 21 projecting therefrom on which a motor 22is supported, the motor being provided with a ulley 23 for driving thebelt 20. A belt tig tener 24 bears against the belt 20 and is supportedby an arm 25 pivoted at 26 on the pedestal 15. A cover or housing 27encloses the pulleys 19 and 23 and the belt 20.

Formed on the shaft 18 adjacent the face of the knife 13 is a sprocketwheel 28 connected by a chain 29 with a sprocket wheel 30 looselymounted on a shaft 31 which is connected with the o erating mechanismfor the reciprocating ta le in the usual manner. The sprocket wheel 30constitutes one of the members of a friction clutch, the other of which,numbered 32, is fixed to the shaft 31. The member 30 is resiliently heldin contact with the member 32'by a spring 33 and may be moved out ofengagement therewith by means of a lever 34 pivotally mounted on a pin35. The end of the lever 34 rests upon a stud 36 provided with a notch37 in which the lever may be seated to retain the clutch parts out ofengagement with one another.

A suitable lubricating device 38 may be provided for the member 30. Bydisconnecting the clutch the knife 13 may be driven by the motorindependently of the feed table for sharpening the knife or for otherpurposes.

Flanges 39 on the rear of the casting 15 provide a housing for thesprocket wheels 28 and 30 and the connecting chain 29. The rear plate 40of the casting 15 and the curved plate 41 constitute an angle ironconstruction of sufiicient strength to support the bearings 16 for theknife 13. The front web or plate 42 is added to the construction toprovide additional support for the front bearings 17. The three webs, asshown in Fig. 3, surround an open space into whlch the slices aredirected as they are cut from the material.

A deflector plate or guard 43 of usual construction may be connectedwith the rear late 40 to guide the slices away from the knife 13. Theslice-receiving pan 44 extends into the open space surrounded by thewebs 40, 41 and 42 so that the slices may continue in their direction ofmovement imarted to them by the deflector 43 and maybe deposited uponthe pan 44 after they have been severed from the material. In depositingthe slices or in removing them as they are formed, the operators handmay be extended over the pan 44 without interference by the support forthe knife spindle because of the offset position of the support.

I claim 1. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a horizontal spindlefor said knife, a support" for said spindle comprising an open shell,and a slice receiver positioned in said shell.

2. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a spindle for said knife, meansfor feeding material to said knife, a support for said spindlecomprising a plate, driving mechanism connecting said knife and feedingmeans positioned at the side of said plate adjacent said wife, andslice-receiving means positioned at the opposite side of said plate andextending beneath said spindle.

3. A slicing machine comprising a rotary knife, mechanism for feedingmaterial to said knife, a support for said knife comprising a platesubstantially parallel with the cutting plane of said knife and a secondlate substantially at right angles to said rst-named plate, drivingmechanism connecting said knife and feeding mechanism and arranged atthe side of said first-named plate adjacent said knife, and means fordirecting slices to a position at the side of said -first-named plateopposite said knife.

4. A slicing machine comprising a rotary knife, a spindle for saidknife, mechanism for feeding material to said knife, a support for saidspindle comprising an open shell, a motor for driving said spindle, abracket on said shell for supporting said motor, driving mechanismconnecting said spindle with said feeding mechanism, and a shoe receiverpositioned in the opening in said shell.

5. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a spindle for said knife,mechanism for feeding material to said knife, a .motor for driving saidspindle, driving mechanismconnecting saidspindle and said feeding mecha-'nism,and aclutch interposed between said spindle and said feedingmechanism to permit operation of said knife independently of saidfeeding mechanism.

6. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a spindle for said knife, a suport for said spindle comprisin an open s ell having a plate arrangedadjacent to and substantially Iparallel with. one face of said knife, a

racket on said shell, a motor for driving said spindle mounted on saidbracket, means for feeding material to said knife, driving meansinterposed between said knife and said plate and connectin said spindlewith-said feeding means, a slice receiver positioned at the side of saidplate opposite said knife and in the opening of said shell, means fordirecting slices onto said slice receiver, and a clutch interposedbetween said spindle and said feeding means.

7. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a spindle on which said knifeis mounted, a motor for driving said spindle, and a cominon pedestal onwhich said motor and spindle are mounted.

8. In a slicing machine, a rotary knife, a spindle on which said knifeis mounted, a motor for driving said knife, a support for said motor andspindle, and a receivm tray for slices severed by said knife, saisupport being ofi'set laterally relative to the vertical plane of saidspindle to provide space for said receiving tray beneath said spindle.

9. A slicing machine comprising a rotary knife, a spindle. on which saidknife is mounted, a reciprocating table for feeding material tosaidknife, a motor for driving said spindle, a driving connectionextending downwardly from said spindle for operating said reciprocatingtable, a clutch interposed between said driving connection and table, asupport for said spindle, and a receiving tray for slices, said drivingconnection and receiving tray b einglocated on opposite sides of saidsupport.

10. A slicing machine comprising a rotary knife, means for feedingmaterial to said knife, a motor for driving said knife, speed reducingconnection from said motor to said knife, and a further speed reducingconnection from said knife to said feeding means.

11. A slicing machine comprising a rotary knife, a spindle for saidknife, a motor, a

